PLEASE NOTE: The charity TaxAid advises only those people on low incomes whose problems cannot be resolved with HMRC.

Help with your Tax Return

A self assessment tax return is a form issued by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which is used to collect information on your income and capital gains for a particular tax year. HMRC uses the information you provide to check your tax liability for the year. The form includes sections where you can give information on any reliefs or allowances you are entitled to, which may reduce your final tax bill.

You will not normally receive a Tax Return, or notice to file on-line, unless you register with HMRC as self-employed; or if you are a company director. But sometimes you will need to contact HMRC and ask for a tax return. HMRC may occasionally have information which suggests that someone may need to submit a tax return, for example, this could happen if you receive a redundancy payment of over £30,000. In such cases HMRC may contact you asking you to complete a Tax Return.